Family Affair
by elisheva
Summary: Lisbon receives bad news on the family front. Jane's determined to be a friend no matter where she goes. AU regarding her parents.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I wrote this as I wrote my other story. I wanted to get it out there before the finale ruins the mood for me. I like writing Lisbon's siblings because you can make different one each time! Enjoy!**

* * *

I feel the color drain out of my cheeks as I listen to the voice on the other side of the phone receiver. I have always read that expression in books but until this moment I never realized it is actually possible for one to _feel_ the color drain. After making the appropriate responses I hang up the phone and slowly walk out of my office towards my team.

I can hear their voices, laughter that seems so far away, and although I can't hear their exact words I am sure Jane is teasing Rigsby.

It is also Patrick Jane who notices me approach before the others. And it is he who notices my face.

His teasing grin falls. "What's wrong, Lisbon?"

What a loaded question. The others turn to look at me. "I have an emergency and must leave immediately. Cho, you are in charge until I get back."

Kimball Cho nods. "Sure thing, Boss."

I turn to leave and Jane doesn't disappoint by being nosy, dogging my steps.

"Where will you be?" he asks me as I head back into my office to grab my keys.

I sigh but know he won't quit. "Colorado."

"Your parents?"

"My mom. She's in the hospital."

He shifts in front of me as I try to leave. "Do you need a ride to the airport?"

I give him a small smile. "Thanks, but no."

He looks like he wants to reach out and touch me but he doesn't. Instead he says, "Call if you need us, Teresa."

By the time I am seated on the plane I have worked myself up into an angry state. I am the youngest of my siblings and them leaving something until the last minute to tell me is just a normal pattern for them. No one has bothered telling me Mom is sick until the doctor tells them it may be too late.

Once the cab drops me off at the hospital I follow the directions my brother Brad has given me and easily find the Lisbon brood near the ICU.

As soon as they attempt to approach me I throw a look of irritation and contempt at all of them. "Would anyone like to explain why I wasn't notified sooner?"

My oldest brother Nicholas refuses to meet my eyes. Laura has been crying- big surprise- while Jodi is holding her hand. Only Brad, closest to my age, braves a look directly at me.

"We agreed your job was too important to miss if this was nothing, Ters."

I make fists of my hands and have to keep reminding myself I am in a hospital. "Where is she?"

My mother is pale and unnaturally quiet as she lays asleep in her private room. Tubes are everywhere and that scares me the most. I ignore Brad as he leaves and closes the door, taking her limp hand as I sit in the available chair.

I don't have to wait long.

"Teresa?"

I look into my mother's familiar blue-green eyes that are unfamiliarly full of pain. I force a smile. "Hey, Mom. I would have been here sooner but they just called." I am unable to keep the anger from my voice.

Even sick my mother knows her children. "Teresa, don't be mad. I asked them not to bother you, dear."

I roll my eyes. "Mom! My work is nothing compared to your health."

She sighs. "I'm dying, Ters. There was nothing to be done."

I squeeze her hand, careful of the IVs taped to her. "I could have _been_ here."

She gives me a smile. "You are stronger than the others. You needed less time to say goodbye." Her eyes bat. "I'm tired, Teresa. So tired."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yeah, so I missed one episode and it was apparently the one in which her parents were explained. Sorry! Thanks for all the heads up and I changed the story to AU as needed! Happy it was renewed but does it really have to change days...Well, enjoy!**

* * *

Laura is sobbing again. I can hear her from the kitchen where I am rearranging the fridge to fit all of the neighbors "mourning pieces" as Nick calls them. Jodi is talking softly to her. I personally want to hit her upside the head with a wooden spoon but that's probably the reason I am not soothing Ms. Crybaby.

I hope her husband comes soon.

I hear the doorbell but with my hands full I decide the sisters can take care of it. The brothers are at the funeral home making arrangements.

"Ters," Jodi calls to me. "Someone's here to see you."

I scowl. So typical of them not to want to deal with people. I march into the room determined to get rid of the person and then tell off my sister but the sight of our guest stops me cold.

An Adonis with blond curly hair and a three piece suit, Patrick Jane stands in the entryway of my parent's house looking strangely in place.

"Jane, what...?" is all I can manage before he walks up to me and places his arms around me to pull me into his nice smelling chest.

"I came when I heard," he says into my hair. "I'm sorry for your loss."

It is purely instinctual that my hands clutch his jacket and I allow myself to accept a moment of comfort. As soon as I start to push him away, though, he releases me. "You didn't have to come," I tell him in an almost accusing voice.

He never blinks an eye as he stuffs his hands in his pockets. "I know. I wanted to."

A loud sniff reminds me we are not alone and I turn to see my two sisters staring at me as if they had never seen me before. The point is valid that I never let anyone comfort me. Even as a child little Ters was an independent.

I decide to introduce them in an attempt to stop the gawking. "Jodi, Laura, this is Patrick Jane. He provides consultation to my team."

Jane politely shakes their hands. "Your sisters, I presume. Pleasure to meet you although I wish it could have been under better terms."

Laura sniffs again. "You came from California to be with Ters. How sweet," she manages before tears begin to pour again.

He produces a handkerchief and gives it to her. "Purely selfish, I assure you. I don't know what to do with myself without your sister telling me what to do."

Laura smiles through her tears. "Teresa has always been bossy."

I scowl. "You are not going to talk about my faults in front of me," I tell them.

Jane looks over at me. "I could use some tea."

I know what he's doing but I make the decision to take the opportunity to escape Laura's incessant sobbing to let Jane do what he does best. I put the kettle on and am in the middle of searching for the resting place of the teabags when Jodi walks in the kitchen.

"Wow," she says as she leans against the counter. "He got Laura to stop crying. He's something."

I snort. "Yeah, something." I pull the tea down from the shelf.

"He's completely smoking hot, Ters."

"He's a complete pain in the ass, Jo."

She gives me a smile. "I'd like him to be _my_ pain in the ass."

"You can have him." I start to pour the milk in his cup but catch myself. "Jane!" I yell into the front room. "Get in here and fix your own damn tea."


	3. Chapter 3

I am in the middle of an argument with my siblings several hours before our mother's wake. "You're being cruel, Brad," I put my two cents worth in, disappointed in my brother.

"No," Jodi jumps in, "what's cruel is bringing Dad in for a funeral when he has no idea who's who."

I find a surprising ally in Laura who, for once, is dry-eyed. "He deserves the option to make his own decision."

Jane, who can't keep himself from being in the middle of something to save his life, jumps into the fray. "From what I understand he is fairly coherent. Why not give him the benefit of the doubt?"

My brothers, ever suspicious and over-protective, have not warmly accepted Jane as my sisters have. Jane choosing to sleep on my parent's couch instead of a hotel bed solidified this even further. "I suggest you butt out. This is a _family_ discussion. You have no place here."

"On the contrary," Jane says nonplussed. "I think I'm the best person for this decision. I am an unbiased party with no vested interest."

Brad scowls at the man who is sprawled out on his claimed sofa. "Your vested interest is in Teresa's point of view."

I open my mouth to argue but Jane beats me to it. "Brad, I understand how you might think that. But let me assure you that I have my own point of view. And it rarely corresponds with Teresa's."

"Thank you, Jane," I hiss at him.

Nicholas crosses his arms. "Alright, Jane. What do you suggest we do?"

Jane is now in his element. "I think Lisbon- uh, Teresa- and I should go evaluate the situation. If your Dad can understand, we tell him what has happened. Either way, worse case scenario is he forgets about it. Am I right?"

"Jane!" I admonish.

Jane continues without giving me notice. "Not telling him undermines the respect he is owed as your father and a husband."

I roll my eyes at him as we climb into his rental vehicle. "Sometimes you have the voice of an angel."

"Somehow I don't think there was a compliment within that statement," he tells me as he heads towards the highway I direct him to.

Having relinquished driving control to Jane on numerous occasion now I am used to his vehicle handling and am able to relax slightly on the beautiful drive, trying not to think about my task.

I am with my father John about five minutes- more than enough time to realize this is a wasted trip. "He doesn't even know his own name, Jane," I tell him once I leave my confused father's room.

He moves himself from where he's been charming the nurses to stand by me. "Alzheimer's is a horribly debilitating disease, Lisbon."

"You know, though. I _do_ feel better having come. It makes it somewhat easier dealing with all this knowing he won't suffer from losing the love of his life."

"Every bright side helps heal the heart," he tells me.

I snort at him as I get back into the car. "You sound like a Hallmark commercial."

"Perhaps I should sell them my ideas."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok, so I admit it's a little depressing. But Lisbon is such an interesting character...and who wouldn't want Jane to comfort them!**

* * *

The viewing is being held in a suite of rooms connected to each other. Sets of flowers are spread everywhere and I have circled the outer room without making an attempt to go to the room my mother's body is currently in. I can't bring myself to go near her posed body and only one person understands that.

"Teresa," Nick says when we first get there, "let's see the dress you picked out for Mom."

"You go look, Nick," I tell him.

Jodi comes to me next, tears in her eyes. "You should see her makeup, Ters. She looks great."

Laura and Brad reach out to grab my wrists.

"No!" I tell them firmly. "I don't want to see her like that."

"You have to," Brad says harshly. "It's your duty as her daughter."

There is a gentle hand on my elbow and I turn to look into the kind eyes of Jane.

"The only thing you are required to do is remember your mother, Lisbon," he says, his voice as gentle as his touch. "The way you remember her is up to you."

People start arriving so I shuffle closer to him before asking the question on my mind. "How did you do it, Jane? How did you deal with your family's deaths on your own?"

"The funerals were private," he states, matter-of-factly. "And anger and plotting revenge cut the pain away it seems."

I can't answer as I am suddenly surrounded by aunts and distant cousins.

I lose track of time as condolences pour from mouths of people who seem to have known me for a mere second or two of my life. My siblings seem to have their spouses and children around them, Jane is my rock. He even steals me away for water when he sees I am getting a little overwhelmed as cousin Betty's child Matthew asks me for two minutes straight why Auntie Marty is sleeping so still.

Jane pours the water when my hands shake too much to. "You are allowed to break down, Lisbon," he advises as he hands me the plastic cup.

"I'm ok," I assure him before taking a long sip.

He takes the cup from me once I am done and pulls me into his warm embrace. "We're friends, Teresa," he murmurs into my hair. "I'm here for you."

I feel if I accept his comfort for too long I will start crying without stop so I push gently out of his arms. In his eyes there is something but before I can decipher it I see a small group of people approaching out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey, Boss," Rigsby greets me solemnly as Van Pelt wraps her long arms around me.

I look at the three, all dressed somber, amazed. "What are you doing here?"

Jane shakes Cho and Rigsby's hand. "Paying respect is the reason people today perform a wake, Lisbon."

"We are all so sorry," Van Pelt says as they form a semi-circle around me.

"Thank you for coming," I tell them all sincerely.


	5. Chapter 5

It is a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining, the warm wind is blowing. It makes the whole thing surreal.

The church is nearly packed. I sit between Jodi and Laura on the family pew. Jane, Cho, Van Pelt, and Rigsby somehow manage to secure the row behind me. During the funeral Jane leans in to place a hand on the shoulder of the blubbering Laura.

"You alright?" he softly whispers on my neck.

I scowl and move forward to escape his intrusion. He can comfort my sister if he needs to do his helpful Jane act but I don't want or need him or his kind tone.

I make it stoically through the funeral and ride with my family to the burial site. The man of God says several words over the closed casket then the crowd grows quiet as my siblings and I place white roses on it before it is lowered into the ground.

I kiss the rose in my hand and gently place the flower down. As I walk back to where I am standing my heel gets caught on the tarp and I am pitched forward.

Strong arms grab me and I am pulled back up to my feet. Frustrated, stressed, worn down, immensely sad I burst into tears for the first time since my mother's death.

I am not sure who pulls me to them until I hear a voice. "It's ok, Lisbon. Let it out. You can grieve."

So I do. For that moment I finally use Jane's comfort and allow myself to break apart inside. There would be time soon enough for me to be the strong one once more.


End file.
